


Stone Dragon

by heichousuckalottadick, vtethras52



Series: The Stone Dragon [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mild Gore, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 21:07:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16071368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heichousuckalottadick/pseuds/heichousuckalottadick, https://archiveofourown.org/users/vtethras52/pseuds/vtethras52
Summary: Urtok Cadash is a member of the Dwarven Carta. Her father is the head of House Cadash, as well as a tyrant to her and her brother, Vrita. They move from place to place, smuggling lyrium, slaves, and a plethora of other things Urtok is rather uncomfortable with. After being set up by her father and brother, Urtok sneaks off to the conclave in hopes of escaping her family. In the end, Urtok changes her life for better or worse, and ends up with the fate of the world in her hands.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my first story, so if you have any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them! I know the first chapter is going to need a bit of editing, but I thought I might as well and get this published so it isn't just sitting around waiting to be read. Special thanks to my best friend and co-author for helping me write this story, and thanks to anyone who reads this! I hope you enjoy!

“Come on, get moving! We’re packing up camp.”

     Vrita. Why did they have to send Vrita to wake her up? Urtok shifted in her makeshift bed to look at her older brother and winced. Shit, he was scary enough to look at, she didn’t want to have to hear him first thing in the morning too. She sat up in her makeshift bed and rubbed her eyes, knowing that another second spent lying down would piss her brother off. “Alright, I’m up. I’ll get moving.” This answer seemed to please Vrita, as he just grunted and left. The "bed" Urtok was sleeping in was just a simple sack with wool and some downy grass stuffed inside, and the room she stayed in was a mere tent. Cozy enough, but it's only ideal if you've grown up living in such a fashion. This was just how it was.  
Urtok stretched and stood up, preparing to roll up the sack she called her bed. Growing up as part of the Carta, she had to get used to traveling constantly. Urtok knew this, but that didn’t mean she liked it. Sometimes she wished her parents had just abandoned her and left her to join some traveling merchants, or even just to fend for herself. They threatened her with this before, but never followed through. Perhaps they had some morals. Either way, travelling with a group of merchants would be better, she thought. Sure, she would still have to travel, but there would be a lot less crime and killing involved. It had dawned on her multiple times that she could easily run away, but there were always second thoughts that stopped her. The most likely outcome would be her father tracking her down, scold her for being ungrateful, and drag her back to the life she left behind. As soon as her father came to mind, Urtok heard footsteps approaching. She quickly rolled up her sleeping sack and began throwing her shoes on, knowing all too well who they belonged to. Just as she had gotten most of her things gathered, her father stuck his scarred head through the tent's entrance. How lovely.

     Before her father could get on to Urtok for some reason or another, she greeted him with feigned respect. “Good morning, Father. I’m almost ready.” He seemed surprised for half a second, but brushed it off and recovered his strict demeanor “Good. We still have a few others packing up and then we’ll be on our way.” His voice was curt, which let Urtok know that he didn’t expect a response, just obedience. Urtok nodded and continued to get dressed.

  
     Her father, Vorn, is the current leader of House Cadash, meaning that everything she did reflected on him and her mother. He had no love or sympathy for either of his children, just pride in how well they could get jobs done, and Urtok was practically incompetent in his eyes. Sure, she knew how to fight and she could definitely kill, but was it necessary? This life was a choice, and she wanted no part of it. Unfortunately, Urtok was one of the very few people who felt this way. Her parents never let her voice those opinions out loud in front of anyone else, and if she voiced them in private, it resulted in heated arguments that led to her father or brother finishing it, and often led to a new scar on her face. Her mother, Yenla, was kinder than Vorn in many ways, but she was in no way a good mother. She paid no attention to Urtok’s accomplishments, yet took every chance she could get to praise Vrita. There were a few times, however, that Urtok was extremely grateful for her mother. They were few and far in between, but every now and then, Yenla would put her foot down and tell Vorn that he was far too strict when it came to the children. Those times were years ago, however. When Vrita matured and Urtok first voiced her opinions, she left them to fend for themselves against the world and their father. 

Despite all the differences Urtok and her family had, they all bore striking resemblances to each other. Vrita and Urtok both had their father's, deep crimson hair, and their mother's striking indigo eyes. Vorn and Vrita were both very heavily built, and it was clear at first glance what their line of work was. They both were very rugged and were scarred from head to toe, mostly from fights with each other. Yenla and Urtok, however, were smaller according to dwarf standards. Urtok had her fair share of scars, though not near as many as Vorn or Vrita, but she could guarantee that all except one came from the two of them. The fact that Yenla didn't bear near as many scars as the rest of her family, as well as her raven hair left her the odd one out of the family.

  
     Urtok snapped out of her thoughts when she remembered that the family she was thinking of was hers, so she decided it was best to get a move on. She straightened herself up and grabbed her bow, quiver, and the pack that held her sleeping bag and a few valuables. She began to take down her tent and looked around the camp. There weren’t many members of their family in this specific group, probably only fifteen. The rest broke off into their own separate groups in order to get more jobs and income for the house. Currently, Urtok’s group was smuggling a decent amount of lyrium to some lord in Ostwick. Not a bad job, if you asked her, but there was always a chance they could run into trouble on the road from competition,elves, or wildlife. "That’s why we gave you a weapon," her father would always say. She’d never say it out loud, but in her mind she’d always respond, "Maybe I don’t want to fight. Maybe I don’t want this life." But she learned her lesson about talking back to her father. That lesson remained on her cheek.

  
     Urtok was going through her pack to make sure she wasn’t missing anything when she was approached by her brother again. “You’re finally ready. Here, hold this,” Vrita commanded. He had practically appeared out of thin air and tossed his sword to his sister. She barely caught it, dropping her own bow in the process. She whipped her head around to look at it, making sure that it was okay. She decided it was best to leave it until her brother was gone, and turned her attention back to him to see what was so important that she had to hold his sword. He was looking down at a letter in his hand addressed to their father. Why he would need her to hold his sword while he read a letter, she didn’t know. Vrita liked to order her around and give her menial tasks. Urtok knew it was just him showing his power, so she just held her tongue and did as she was told.  
   “Everything alright?” she asked with concern edging in her voice. Their father rarely got letters because they moved around so much, and if someone really wanted their father’s attention, they would get it in person. She moved closer to peer over his shoulder, hoping to get a better view, but he shoved her away. “Mind your own business!” he snarled and turned his back on her. Realizing that Vrita didn’t have any weapons, Urtok took her chance to stand up to her tyrant of a brother. “You’re the one snooping through Father’s letters! Has he even read it yet? We never get mail, Vrita! That has to be important!”

  
     When Vrita wheeled around and glared at her, she began to regret this decision. Thinking quickly, she kicked her bow out of her brother’s reach and held up his sword in an offensive stance. Vrita resentfully backed down, knowing that fighting Urtok while she was armed would only end in disaster for him. She smiled to herself and regained her posture, making sure to keep on her guard. “Give it to Father. Now.” she demanded. This was not an easy feat for her, considering she had the voice of a chipmunk, but it seemed to work. Vrita held his hand out for his sword, not looking Urtok in the eyes. “Fine. Give me my sword so I can finish getting ready.” Urtok complied, and watched her brother walk in their father’s direction.

  
     Urtok huffed and bent to pick up her bow. It seemed okay, so she put it on her back and finished taking down her tent. They were just outside of Ostwick, so hopefully they could manage to find a room to sleep in while they were there. That was probably too much to ask for, but it was something she could look forward to. She knew that once her father got his share of the money, he’d probably spend it on drinks with Vrita. Urtok never really got any of the coin from these jobs because her parents figured if she didn’t want to do the job, she didn’t want to get paid. This was true, but it meant that anything she needed, she either had to find some way to get it herself, or rely on them for some sign of mercy. She supposed it was somewhat fair, but that didn’t make it right. She shook herself out of her thoughts once more and put her rolled up tent in her pack. She just had to live with it.


	2. Poison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for child abuse later on in this chapter. There's nothing physical, but there are some pretty harsh words. Also, I'm going to start updating bi-weekly, as I think weekly isn't achievable for me right now. Sorry for the wait!

   The group arrived at their destination sometime around sunset. They had walked without any rest since they set off that morning, and Urtok felt like she was about to collapse. Judging by the pace they were moving, her father was probably close to reaching his deadline on the deal. It wasn’t usual for them to travel this much without rest in one day. Upon arrival, Vorn informed the group that they would split up into individual groups of three. Once he got settled in, he assigned everyone to said groups and gave them their orders. Urtok was lucky enough to get put with her mother, as well as a close friend of hers. Their orders were to scout the wilderness for anything that may interfere with their job. Urtok still wished they could go into Ostwick immediately, but her father said that it wouldn’t be wise to rush into town so quickly. However, she was grateful that she wouldn’t have to be near Vrita or her father for at least a few hours, and that kept her from complaining. Urtok went to meet up with her mother so they could gather their weapons and supplies for their venture into the wilderness. They were in a wooded area, so all manner of beasts could be lurking in the trees, along with Dalish clans or rogue bandits. Weapons would most likely be necessary.

   Upon seeing her mother, she smiled half heartedly and helped her gather some food and extra supplies, should they get lost. Her mother’s friend (who Urtok did not know the name of) is known for her skill in tracking and wayfinding, hence why she was put to this job. Urtok was thankful for that. She was on the taller side of dwarf standards, and had earth brown hair with intelligent eyes to match. She was strong and well built, as most Carta members are, and she scared the living shit out of Urtok. At the moment, she was nowhere to be seen. Eager to get going, Urtok looked to her mother, who was putting her now full pack over her shoulder, and spoke in a questioning tone, one she was only brave enough to use around her mother, as there weren’t as many consequences for questioning her mother. “Mother, where is your friend. Didn’t Father say she would be joining us?”

   Yenla turned her head to her daughter and shrugged. “Don’t know. She went back to her tent to get something, but maybe she got lost on the way there,” she chuckled to herself. It wasn’t uncommon for her mother to joke around. That didn’t mean she was funny, by any means, but it was a nice change from the stone cold aura that her father had. Urtok smiled at her mother’s attempt at a joke and nodded. There was nothing else to be said.

   Urtok sat down on a nearby rock to rest her aching feet while the two of them waited. She began to daydream about baked tarts she tried at a small village once, but before she could go too deep into her thoughts, the third dwarf of the party showed up. Her russet hair was tied up in a braid and swung over her shoulder, and her pack was on the opposite. “Sorry. Lost a dagger on the way here and just now realized this. Managed to steal one from the guy in the next tent over.” She gave a wicked smirk, and Yenla just shook her head in mock exasperation. “Maker’s breath, Adra, I can’t believe you! Stealing? How _dare_ you?”

   The two laughed together for a moment, before clapping each other on the shoulder and turning to leave. Yenla turned her head and motioned for Urtok to follow, but didn’t stop to make sure she did. She knew Urtok would listen. She and Vorn taught her no different.

  Just as the group was about to head off into the local wilderness, one of the men that was supposed to be traveling in Vorn’s group came with a message. “Urtok, Vorn gave me orders to switch places with you. Wouldn’t say why.” Urtok glanced at her mother, hoping she would side with her this time, but got the usual “do as your father says” look, accompanied with “Don’t argue, just do it.”.

   She sighed in defeat, knowing that it was foolish to think her father would let her go that easily. “Alright, I’ll go to him.”

   She huffed, and walked towards her father’s tent. She briefly stole a glance to her mother’s group and thought that maybe if she defied her father’s wishes, it wouldn’t be noticed. She quickly dismissed that thought, and hurried inside her father’s tent.

  Upon entry, Urtok wasn’t shocked to find Vrita and her father looking at what appeared to be plans on the table her father kept. She looked to both of their faces, hoping that one of them would explain the sudden change in plans, but they were both too deep in conversation with each other to even notice she walked in. She decided not to wait for a break in their conversation, feeling that if they needed her enough to make her deal with them more than she felt was necessary, they could stop and notice her for a second to give her an explanation.

   “Father, is everything alright? Why did you need to change the groups around?” Vorn turned to his daughter, his face hard and expressionless. His signature look. He moved a few papers around on the table, gaining a little more organization. “Yes, dear everything is fine.”

    Dear. She hated when her father called her that. He only used it when he wanted to use her for something. Vorn watched to make sure he had his daughter’s attention, and upon seeing that his tactic worked, he continued on. “You’re going to come with me and Vrita to complete the deal. You’re a skilled fighter, and this is probably going to turn bad considering how close we are to the deadline. I want you with me in case that happens.”

  Urtok fought back a scream of rage. How could he? She had never gone with her father before, he had always said she was too incompetent! She looked rapidly between her father and brother and silently hoped her anger didn’t show on her face. Urtok inhaled deeply before she spoke, keeping down any outbursts that would lead to unnecessary trouble.

  “I-I don’t understand, you’ve never let me go with you before. Why now?” Urtok could see something brewing in her father’s dark eyes, and she didn’t like it. Something was definitely wrong.

  “Sweetheart, it’s time that you saw how we do business. You spend too much time scouting and hunting. What do you think you are, a fucking knife-ear?” His tone had changed. It was no longer diplomatic, but demanding. Arguing with him at this point would be futile. She avoided his eyes this time before speaking, knowing she would only find his cruel anger. “Yes, father. I… Understand. Let me get my weapons and we can set off.” This answer seemed to satisfy him, as he merely nodded and grunted. “Good. We will be waiting.”

  Urtok hurried to her tent to grab the spare arrows she kept for hunting. Her bow had already been equipped from when she was assigned to her mother's group, as well as a few arrows in case of an attack or ambush, but she had other arrows she made especially for killing rather than wounding. They were thin and light, and built for speed and precision. She had hoped to use them for another purpose, but apparently she was the best warrior in her house according to her father, and her skill was needed elsewhere. If she was being honest, she almost felt honored that her father was actually acknowledging her skill for once. A smarter, wiser part of her was telling her that he had something up her sleeve, but she chose to ignore it in hopes that maybe, just maybe, her father was finally coming around. Once she found where she placed her daggers, she equipped them and went back to find Vrita and Vorn.

  Upon returning to her father’s tent, she was surprised to find that Vrita was the only one waiting for her. She gave him a questioning look, to which he ignored.  He was sharpening a blade as he waited for their father to return, and he made it clear that he was not going to acknowledge his sister in any way, shape or form. Typical.

  Urtok decided that she would persist in trying to get Vrita’s attention. She was angry about being stuck with her least favorite people, and this time she was going to let them know how she felt.  She refused to let them have all the power anymore

  Urtok swallowed her fear and put on her brave face before asking aloud. “Vrita, where did Father go?”

  Vrita still paid her no mind and just continued to sharpen his blade. Urtok was beginning to grow tired of nothing going her way. Her mind was swimming with emotions, and her anger was beginning to boil violently inside of her. Finally getting fed up, she forgot her facade let out a rather loud grunt of frustration and slammed her fist on the table.

_That_ got his attention.

  He looked up from his blade and furrowed his brows at his sister. “What in the world is your problem? You’ve always complained about Father never giving you attention, and now that you have it, you’re throwing a fit. Is nothing fucking good enough for you?” Urtok saw a flash of regret in her brother’s eyes when it finally dawned on him _just_ how angry she was. Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, Urtok took several strides toward Vrita until she was staring him down.

  “I’m not fucking ungrateful, Vrita, I’m tired of yours and everyone else’s shit. I don’t want to be used as Father’s tool for when shit goes wrong when all that bastard’s ever done is degrade and belittle me.” She paused and poked her brother roughly in the chest. “And _you’re_ no better! In fact, you’re the worst out of all of them! Just because our parents favor you over me in _everything_ , you act like you’re my superior! You know that I’m a thousand times better archer than you, a better fighter, a better hunter, and a better fucking person! I’m tired of you and everyone else treating me like a nuisance unless they need a fucking favor!” She paused, ashamed at the fact she let her anger take over in such a fashion, but she relished the feeling of seeing her brother absorb her words laced with a cruel, twisted poison that she harbored every day. Normally, she would’ve apologized by now to avoid a fight with Vrita or punishment from her father. But right now, she didn’t care. She was _exhausted_ , and she wanted to let the world now how she truly felt.

  Before Urtok could continue on her rant, Vorn stepped back into the tent. He surveyed the scene in front of him, and there was no doubt in Urtok’s mind that he had overheard most, if not all of what she said, and upon seeing the look on her father's face, she knew that any hope of him changing his ways were long gone.

  He said nothing, but the look on his face betrayed all of his thoughts. Urtok watched in fear as he observed her wide eyes, and read Vrita’s expression. Vorn let his presence fully settle in the room before speaking to either of his children, knowing that this alone would get them back in order. After a few moments of Urtok sputtering apologies and excuses, he finally spoke up. He masked his fury under a gentle, fatherly guise, that Urtok almost believed.

  “Urtok, dear… Step away from your brother.” She did so in a more timid manner than when she originally approached him, resembling a bear caught in a trap. Her entire demeanor had changed when her father stepped in, and she wanted to slap herself for it. She thought about continuing on her rampage, but the look on her father’s face told her otherwise. He kept his cold glare on her, and she could almost feel the ice devouring her soul. When her father saw that she was finally done with her uncharacteristic outburst, he spoke again.

 “Your brother is right. You are acting like a child. I expect none of this when we go out,” he paused and turned his gaze to Vrita, not changing his expression. “That goes for you as well, Vrita. I need you to set an example of how to act for your sister, as she has clearly forgotten. Is everything clear?” Vrita and Urtok nodded once in unison. “Good. Then, if both of you are ready, then we can head out.” With that, he exited the tent, and expected them to follow. The siblings each grabbed their weapons and walked out of the tent together, not looking or speaking to one another.

  Vorn let Vrita get a little ahead of him and Urtok before grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her aside. The sudden, rough movement elicited a startled yelp out of Urtok, and without even thinking about the current situation, she tried to yank her hand away. Vorn kept a tight grip, and he pulled her close so they were at eye level.

 “I want you to know that if I _ever_ hear an outburst like that from you again, you are _gone_ . Is that clear?” He paused for her to answer, and she nodded, fighting back tears. “I have done _everything_ for you and your brother since the day you were born, and all I get from you is blatant disrespect. Who gives you a safe place to stay? Me. Who gives you food to eat and coin to spend? Me. Who gives you a loving family? _Me._ I do! Without me, you would be fucking dead. Vrita doesn’t complain, neither should you.” He yanked her ever closer and growled lowly in her ear, “Is that clear?”

  Urtok had a multitude of comments to spit back, so many thoughts swimming around in her head. Disrespect? He says worse things about her on a daily basis! Safe place? They're in the fucking _Carta_ ! Urtok had to get her own food and steal any coin she could find! How did _he_ provide that? And how _dare_ he say he gave her a loving family? There might have been some love in her mother at one time, but Vrita? Her _father_? Never.

  She had so many thoughts, so many words to say, and she contemplated spitting them out, wishing to taste the poison on her lips just as she did when she unleashed her wrath on Vrita. But she swallowed them, and she could feel the twisted poison, planted by the man she called her father, manifesting in her bloodstream and taking over at the heart.

  “Yes.. Yes, sir.” She nodded, and looked away. Urtok ripped her hand free from her father’s cruel, unforgiving grip, and refused to look him in the eyes. Vorn looked down at his daughter for a few more moments before walking to where Vrita stood, since he had stopped when he heard the quiet commotion from behind. “Let’s go, child. I have a deal to complete.”

  And with that, Urtok caught up as well, and let the twisted, sour poison tear evermore at her heart and brain. One day, they would regret this. She would make them regret it. She would make _him_ regret it.


	3. Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA I'm SO sorry for the long wait! My life has been one giant shitshow and I haven't been able to find motivation to write! I'll try to keep my writing more consistent, but I can't promise anything! Thank you all for being patient!   
> Also another parental abuse tw for this chapter.

The walk to Vorn’s lyrium deal seemed to last for hours, though Urtok knew it couldn’t have been more than twenty five minutes. Not a word was spoken between the three; the only thing indicating they were related was the deep, maroon hair that ran in the Cadash family. Other than that, they probably looked like total strangers from an outsider’s perspective. Urtok made no attempt to lighten the mood, as she feared anything she said would anger her father more. That would be the last thing she wanted. Even Vrita seemed to be intimidated by Vorn as well, which wasn’t rare, but still uncommon considering the two were always together. That was what gave Urtok the signal to keep her mouth shut.  


On their silent walk, Urtok contemplated every event that occurred in the past few hours. She repeatedly asked herself, “What was I thinking? Why did I do that?” in an endless cycle of self deprecation. She was caught in an inner conflict of telling herself that she had every right to be upset, and telling herself that she was being unreasonable. The side of her head telling her that she was being unreasonable eventually took over, and she decided that she was too tired to keep arguing with herself.  
Urtok and Vrita both stopped abruptly when their father held his hand up, signalling for a stop. Urtok looked around in confusion. They were still in the woods, and they were supposed to meet the contract in Ostwick. Maybe her father was just trying to be discreet? It wasn’t uncommon for him to go to extra measures to avoid trouble. “We’re here. This is our destination.” He put his hand down, looked at Vrita and nodded. Urtok looked between them both, searching for any clues that would point out what was going on, but found no answers. All she found was a crooked, evil smile from Vrita as he nodded back. This is when Urtok knew for sure that her father really did have something up his sleeve.  


Forgetting her fears, she turned back to where her father was standing and decided in one quick, foolish thought, that she refused to submit to him anymore. She waited a few seconds before managing to muster her voice to a little more than a squeak. “Father, what’s going on? What is it that you’re not telling me?” To that, Vorn answered with a dark chuckle.  


“You see, my dear, there never was a contract. We’ve been going south to the Frostbacks this whole time, we just set up camp to rest. Of course, Vrita and I are the only ones who know about this.” He paused and looked at her, trying to see if she had absorbed the information. After giving her a few minutes, he continued. “You see, Vrita, myself, and a few others that I deem worthy are going to catch a ship, and we’re going to Ferelden. The Divine is trying to find a means to end the war, so I figured that would be a good place to earn some profit.”  


A brief pause in his speaking was all it took for this all to make sense to Urtok. The letter, the plans, travelling farther and longer than usual. Her father was going farther than he ever had with his business. The only thing she didn’t understand was why they had to stop in Ostwick. Sure, they needed to get fresh supplies, but they usually traded with merchants on the road. “But… Ostwick? Why did we need to make a stop here?” she asked. When Vrita spoke up, she knew she would fear the answer.  


“You see, little sister, you’ve been slowing us down. Your whole life, you’ve slowed us down. Mother and Father had to wait on you, to dote on you, just because you were so fucking sensitive. Death is a part of life, and yet you shy from it! We have no other way to live! There’s no escaping this, and yet you always look for ways.” He slowly began to inch towards Urtok until he was looming over her. She began to take a step back, but he grabbed her shoulder. She winced, expecting a blow to land, but felt little relief due to how tight he was gripping. The two stood like this for a moment, neither saying a word or backing down. They held each other’s gaze, Vrita’s being a piercing glare, as Urtok struggled to keep hers indifferent. In this brief moment she felt almost relieved. Sure, this whole ordeal hurt, but maybe, just maybe, she would finally be free of her father.  


All hope of that was gone as soon as Vrita spoke again. “We’re tired of it, sister. We were going to go easy on you, but your outburst earlier showed us otherwise.”  
Urtok felt a wave of fear wash over her, and then anguish. Were they planning on killing her? Every ounce of hope she had for her parents’ affection went down the drain in the blink of an eye and a million thoughts ran through her head. Did her mother know of this? If she didn’t, what would she say if she found out? Would her mother even notice her absence? All these questions, all these emotions, were running through her head, and not a single answer could be found. She wasn’t even surprised by her father at this point, and that realization was what hurt her the most. At the sound of Vorn drawing his blade, Urtok snapped out of her thoughts. She would have to leave those questions unanswered if she wanted to live.  


She tried to take a step back, but the grip Vrita had on her shoulder told her that she had no choice of running. Instead, she hardened her eyes, squared her jaw, and decided that if they were going to kill her, it wouldn’t be without a fight. Was her father really that foolish? Sure, they had her cornered two against one, but no one (save for Vrita) had ever been foolish enough to willingly pick a fight with her. She took a deep breath and stared her father in the eyes. “So, Father, what happens now? Do you really want to fight me? Because, Maker, I have waited so fucking long for this day.”  


Urtok watched her father’s face as her words finally sunk in. He stood there in disbelief for a brief moment before regaining his composition. Did he really think that Urtok really just blindly went with what he said? Urtok felt years of repressed anger bubbling over, finally feeling like she had leverage in the never ending battle that had gone on since she was a child. “What’s wrong, Father? Should I even call you that?” She chuckled scornfully between her words. “Are you really so stupid as to believe that I held any respect for you? For what you do? For what you’ve done? You hurt people. You hurt me, your own fucking daughter! You’ve left scars on my face for the whole world to see, and Vrita too!” She gestured wildly to her brother’s scarred arms and face before wriggling out of his grasp and pointing a finger at him. “And you, you’re no fucking better! You just follow him blindly, not questioning anything he says! What we do is wrong. I don’t care if this is all we have, we have the choice to make our lives better, but we never do!” She paused to catch her breath and she looked down at her trembling hands and knees. She was shaking with adrenaline, fear and anger. She smiled ruefully at her father as a silent cue for him to attack. Urtok felt her actions getting bolder as felt her fear melting away, and she couldn’t decide if she liked this new freedom she felt. Before she could say anything else, Vorn lunged at her, his sword drawn. Urtok quickly dodged the attack and leaped away. She heard a giggle come from her mouth as she began running deeper into the forest, not looking back. “You’re gonna have to be faster than that, Father!” She spit out the last word as if it had a foul taste.  


She pulled branches back as she ran buy and zipped between the trees to help evade Vorn and Vrita. She was thankful for their choice of location, because there weren’t many vines or shrubs growing along the forest floor. Unfortunately, she knew that if it was easy for her to get away, it was just as easy for them to keep up.Her current plan was to escape, though she knew that if they caught her, there would be no choice but to fight. She decided that would be a problem for later, and focused on running. She took a sharp turn in hopes of losing her pursuers, only to have Vrita drop from a tree overhead. She looked around frantically before coming to the decision there was no way she could escape him now that he was prepared for her to run. In one hasty movement, she drew her bow as well as an arrow from its quiver.  


Time seemed to freeze. Both siblings were panting hard as they held the same hesitant gaze, both sharing the same thoughts.  
_Will she really shoot? ___  
_Is this going to end with bloodshed? ___  
_If we don’t kill one another, will Father kill us both? __  
_

__Interrupting the heavy silence, Vrita took a step forward. Urtok raised her shaky voice and pulled the string to full-draw. “I’ll do it Vrita. Don’t come any closer!” Vrita smirked at this, and subtly reached for his belt to grab a throwing knife. Urtok saw this and quickly aimed for his shoulder and released the tense string, her arrow flying swiftly through the air and perfectly hitting its mark. A sharp scream of pain rung through the air as Vrita grasped his shoulder and released a string of curses. Urtok had no time to stare in bewilderment at what she had done. She quickly leaped past her brother and ran still deeper into the forest ignoring the screams and threats that she left behind._ _


End file.
